Waistband for garments



Nov. 11, 1952 H. HARDlE WAISTBAND FOR GARMENT-S Filed June 15, 1950FIG.3

INVENTOR Harry j-[araze BY a I a M 1 .7%..

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 11, 1952 WAIS'LBAND FOR GARMENTS Harry Hardie,Baltimore, Md., assignor to The Nobelt Company, Baltimore, Md., acorporation of Maryland Application June 5, 1950, Serial No. 16 ,242

3 Claims.

This invention relates to wearing apparel and more particularly toelastic bands of the type which are sewn onto a garment duringmanufacture and form an integral part of the garment.

Body openings of garments, such as torso or leg openings, are oftenprovided with an elastic band or belt sewed to the edge of the openingfor holding the garment in position on the wearer, The elastic band mayextend either for only a portion of the length of the opening orcompletely about the opening and have its ends united to form an endlessband surrounding the waist or limb of the wearer.

Such elastic bands are sometimes formed of a strip, of thin, elasticsheet rubber covered with a textile sheath, the rubber and sheath beingunited and held in place on the garment by parallel rows of stitchingpenetrating the rubber strip. The garment band of the present inventionis of this. type.

The garment band of the present invention is adapted for garments formedof woven material. The garment material, adjacent to the edge zonethereof, is laid over the outer surface of the rubber strip so as tobring the pattern of the cloth to the very edge of the garment, thegarment material being folded closely over the edge of the rubber stripat the mouth of the garment opening and the edge zone of the garmentmaterial being brought against the inner face of the rubber strip. Theinner side of the rubber strip (towards the body of the wearer) is, inthe embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings, covered by aknitted textile inner sheath, the edge of the inner sheath adjacent themouth of the opening overlying the folded-over portion of garmentmaterial and the other edge of the inner sheath extending slightlybeyond the edge of the rubber strip furthest from the mouth of thegarment opening. These edges of the inner sheath are folded inwardlyupon themselves to form hems along the edges of the inner sheath.

This band is assembled during manufacture of the garment, the rubberstrip being stretched somewhat while the band is united by three or moreparallel rows of stitching extending longitudinally of the band andpenetrating the portion of the garment material forming the outer sheathand the inner sheath. At least two of the rows of stitching penetratethe rubber strip. When the band is released and allowed to contract, theportion of the garment material overlying the rubber strip and formingthe outer sheath is evenly shir-red by the rows of stitching.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide an improvedelastic garment band which is particularly suited for a garment formedof woven material, which has a pleasing appearance, which is verycomfortable to the wearer, and to generally improve garment bands of thetype described.

Further objects and objects relating to details and economies,manufacture, and use will more definitely appear in the detaileddescription to follow.

My invention is clearly defined in the appended claims. Where parts are,for clarity and convenience, referred to on the basis of their orientedposition shown in the accompanying drawing, no limitation as topositioning of the entire structure is to be implied, since it will beunderstood that the entire structure may be inverted or that it may beused in any inclined position. Also, in both the description and theclaims, parts at times may be identified by specific names for clarityand convenience, but such nomenclature is to be understood as having thebroadest meaning consistent with the context and with the concent of myinvention as distinguished from pertinent prior art. The best form inwhich I have contemplated applying my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing forming part of this specification in which: 7

Fig. 1 of the drawings is an elevation of the outside of a garmenthaving a band in accordance with the present invention, portions of thegarment and band being broken away to show details of construction.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic cross section of the garment bandtaken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic cross section similar to Fig. 2 of asecond form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the elastic band N3 of the presentinvention is particularly well adapted for use as an elastic waistbandfor mens woven shorts or pajamas, in which instance it is applied tothe-upper edge of the woven garment material Ii. It is very well suitedfor use as an endless elastic band formed by permanently joining theends of the band as in the so-called boxer shorts, sufficient stretchbeing provided in the band, and by shirring the woven garment material,to provide for putting on and takin off the garment.

The elastic band it is formed of the garment material ll, a strip ofthin, elastic sheet rubber I 2, and an inner knit textile sheath l4,which are assembled and united by stitching, as will be described. Theedge of woven garment material H upon which the band is assembled may beeither square cut or bias cut.

The rubber strip I2 is a thin strip of elastic sheet rubber (includingrubber-like material) preferably having a width when unstretched in theorder of an inch to an inch-and-a-half for a waistband and suitablethickness to provide the desired tension of the band when in position onthe wearer, which tension is determined in part by the weight of thegarment to be supported. The rubber strip is laid along the inner faceadjacent to an edge zone of the garment material II, with the garmentmaterial covering the outside face of the rubber strip and the edge I5of the garment material projecting a short distance beyond the edge ofthe rubber strip adjacent the mouth of the garment opening. The

edge I5 is then folded over the rubber strip, as

will be explained.

The inner textile sheath I 4 is preferably formed of knitted textilematerial having a substantial stretch in the direction of the band I inorder to provide for stretch of the band and still not be substantiallyshirred when the band is in unstretched condition. Thus, there is nosubstantial shirring of the inner sheath when the garment is in positionon the wearer and the soft flexible knitted material forms acomfortable, relatively smooth body-engaging surface of the band I 0.

The edge of the inner sheath I4 adjacent the mouth of the openingterminates slightly short of the fold of the garment material so as tobe invisible when the garment is in position on the wearer, and theother edge of the inner sheath projects sli htly beyond the edge of therubber strip I2 furthe t from the mouth of the opening so as to comletely cover and conceal this strip. The edges of the inner sheath I4are folded in (between the sheath and the rubber strip I2) to form hemsalong the edges of the sheath.

The rubber strip I2 and the inner sheath I4 are held in assembledrelation on the garment material by three or more rows I6 of parallelstitching running lengthwise of the band. One row I6 of stitchingpenetrates the garment material II, the edge portion of the rubber stripI2 adjacent the mouth of the opening, the foldedover edge I5 of thegarment material, and the hem of the inner sheath I4 adjacent the mouthof the opening. In the first form of the invention, shown in Figs. 1 and2, the row of stitching I6 furthest from the mouth of the opening(lowest row in the drawings) penetrates the garment material II, theother hem of the inner sheath I4, and the rubber strip I2.

The intermediate row or rows of stitching I6, preferably two in number,penetrate the garment material II the rubber strip I2, and the innersheath I4. If desired, the folded-over edge I5 of garment material andthe inwardly turned hem portions of the sheath I4 may extend to and bepenetrated by the intermediate rows of stitching. While the garmentmaterial, rubber strip, and inner sheath are shown in both Figs. 2 and 3as being somewhat separated for clarity of illustration, the rows ofstitching hold these parts closely together.

The band I0 is assembled on the garment material II at the sewing pointand then sewn while the rubber strip I2 is in stretched condition. Therubber strip I2 and inner sheath I4 are fed to the garment in strip formthrough suitable guides and folders, the rubber strip and inner sheathbeing stretched a predetermined amount and the outer woven sheath notbeing substantially stretched, particularly if square out, rather thanbias out.

After assembly at the sewing point, the band is sewn while in stretchedcondition by a multiple-needle machine, so as to insert all of the rowsof stitching simultaneously and provide stitches which coincide (theneedle penetrations of the band opposite one another) thus producing auniform shirring of the garment material covering the outer face of therubber strip I2. Preferably a straight stitch is used, having a lengthwhen stretched of about ten stitches to the inch.

By sewing the band II! when the rubber strip I2 is in stretchedcondition, it is not necessary to use elastic or zizag stitches, and theband may subsequently be stretched to the amount that it was stretchedwhen sewn without unduly stressing the stitching. Further, the garmentmaterial II, which is sewn in flat, unshirred condition, limits thestretch of the band, particularly if square cut.

Upon stretching, the rubber strip I2 contracts somewhat in width. Thus,by folding the edge I5 of the garment material fairly closely about theedge of the rubber strip I2 when it is in somewhat narrower stretchedcondition, the strip will expand laterally when relaxed so as tosubstantially fill the folded-over edge of the garment material andstiffen the fold to hold it against turning back along the adjacent rowof stitching I6 and against the face of the band.

It has been found that if a slight clearance is left between the edge ofthe rubber strip I2 and the fold of the garment material I I while theband is being sewn in stretched condition, the rubber strip, whenrelaxed, will still substantially fill the sheath so as to stiffen thefolded edge of garment material II. The clearance should be of suchmagnitude that the expansion of the portion ll of the rubber strip abovethe adjacent row of stitching It will approximately fill this portion ofthe sheath when the band is in relaxed condition but will not pressappreciably against the fold of the garment material I I. A bandconstructed in this manner will have less tendency to curl and will lieflatter when in relaxed condition. The clearance between the edge of therubber strip and the fold of the garment material I I is exaggerated inFigs. 2 and 3 for clarity of illustration.

Since the rubber strip I2 substantially completely fills the foldedportion of the garment material II when the band is unstretched, theshirring of the garment material extends without change in appearancecompletely to the folded-over edge of the garment. This arrangementgives the band an improved appearance, facilitates ironing of thegarment if desired, and stiffens the edge of the garment material tomake ironing thereof unnecessary.

In the second form of the invention shown in Fig. 3, the row ofstitching I6 furthest from the mouth of the opening does not penetratethe adjacent edge portion of the somewhat narrower rubber strip I8 butis located immediately beyond this edge of the rubber strip when theband is stretched during sewing. When the garment band is relaxed,lateral expansion of the rubber strip I2 causes the edge of the strip toabut and bear against the row of stitching IS. The band of this secondform of the invention functions in substantially the same manner as theabove- 5 described band of Figs. 1 and 2, and permits the use of aslightly narrower rubber strip and also assures that the inner sheath Mwill cover this edge of the rubber strip at all times. Otherwise theband of Fig. 3 is similar to the previously described band shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

If the garment material I I is formed of squarecut woven material, thereis no substantial lateral expansion of the sheath as it is relaxed fromstretched condition, and the rubber strip I2 becomes inwardly archedbetween the rows of stitching IE to form a series of pad-like flexiblecorrugations. However, if the garment material H is bias cut from wovenmaterial, the lateral expansion of the band (which is not substantiallylimited by the inner sheath of knit material) permits the rubber stripl2 to remain flat when relaxed from stretched condition. In the latterinstance, the entire band It! expands lat erally somewhat when relaxedfrom stretched condition, the rubber strip remaining generally fiatrather than arching inwardly between the rows of stitching.

Iclaim:

1. An elastic band extending about an opening in a garment of woventextile material to contract the margin of the opening about the wearer,said band comprising: a strip of thin elastic sheet rubber lying againstthe inner face of the garment material adjacent to an edge zone thereof,the garment material covering the outside face of the rubber strip andbeing folded over that edge thereof which is adjacent to the mouth ofsaid opening; an inner textile sheath on the inside face of the rubberstrip, said inner sheath everlying the folded-over portion of thegarment material and extending beyond that edge of the rubber stripwhich is remote from the mouth of said opening, and the edges of theinner sheath being folded inwardly to form hems; and a plurality ofparallel rows of stitching extending longitudinally of the band, suchrows of stitching being sewn with the rubber strip in longitudinallystretched condition, said stitching including a row of stitching passingthrough the portion of garment material covering the outside face of therubber strip, that edge portion of the rubber strip which is adjacent tothe mouth of said opening, the folded-over portion of the garmentmaterial, and that hem of the inner sheath which 4 is nearest the mouthof said opening, said stitching also including a row of stitchingpassing through at least the garment material covering the outer face ofthe rubber strip and that hem of the inner sheath which is furthest fromthe Pi mouth of said opening, and said stitching additionally includingat least one intermediate row of stitching passing through the garmentmaterial covering the outer face of the rubber strip, the rubber strip,and the inner sheath.

2. An elastic band extending about an opening in a garment of woventextile material to contract the margin of the opening about the wearer,said band comprising: a strip of thin elastic sheet rubber lying againstthe inner face of the garment material adjacent to an edge zone thereof,the garment material covering the outside face of the rubber strip andbeing folded over that edge thereof which is adjacent to the mouth ofsaid opening; an inner textile sheath on the inside face of the rubberstrip, said inner sheath overlying the folded-over portion of thegarment material and extending beyond that edge of the rubber stripwhich is remote from the mouth of said opening, and the edges of theinner sheath being folded inwardly to form hems; and a plurality ofparallel rows of stitching extending longitudinally of the band, suchrows of stitching being sewn with the rubber strip in longitudinallystretched condition, said stitching including a row of stitching passingthrough the portion of garment material covering the outside face of therubber strip, that edge portion of the rubber strip which is adjacent tothe mouth of said opening, the folded-over portion of the garmentmaterial, and that hem of the inner sheath which is nearest the mouth ofsaid opening, said stitching also including a row of stitching passingthrough the garment material covering the outer face of the rubber stripand that hem of the inner sheath and edge of the rubber strip which isfurthest from the mouth of said opening, and said stitching additionallyincluding at least one intermediate row of stitching passing through thegarment material covering the outer face of the rubber strip, the rubberstrip, and the inner sheath.

3. An elastic band extending about an opening in a garment of woventextile material to contract the margin of the opening about the wearer,said band comprising: a strip of thin elastic sheet rubber lying againstthe inner face of the garment material adjacent to an edge zone thereof,the garment material covering the outside face of the rubber strip andbeing folded over that edge thereof which is adjacent to the mouth ofsaid opening; an inner textile sheath on the inside face of the rubberstrip, said inner sheath overlying the folded-over portion of thegarment material and extending beyond that edge of the rubber stripwhich is remote from the mouth of said opening, and the edges of theinner sheath being folded inwardly to form hems; and a plurality ofparallel rows of stitching extending longitudinally of the band, suchrows of stitching being sewn with the rubber strip in longitudinallystretched condition, said stitching including a row of stitching passingthrough the portion of garment material covering the outside face of therubber strip, that edge portion of the rubber strip which is adjacent tothe mouth of said opening, the folded-over portion of the garmentmaterial, and that hem of the inner sheath which is nearest the mouth ofsaid opening, said stitching also including a row of stitching passingthrough the garment material covering the outer face of the rubber stripand that hem of the inner sheath which is furthest from the mouth ofsaid opening, said row of stitching being located a slight distance fromthe edge of the rubber strip furthest from the mouth of said openingsuch that, when the band is in unstretched condition, the edge of therubber strip presses lightly against such row of stitching, and saidstitching additionally including at least one intermediate row ofstitching passing through the garment material covering the outer faceof the rubber strip, the rubber strip, and the inner sheath.

HARRY HARDIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,059,103 Hardie et al Oct. 27,1936 2,132,616 Hardie Oct. 11, 1938 2,343,374 Hargreaves Mar. 7, 1944

